Fried pasta ribbons

(Crostoli)

Makes approximately 26 pasta ribbons

These beautiful pastries are found almost everywhere in Italy in some form. They are extremely versatile and are a great accompaniment for coffee or ice-cream-based desserts.

350 g (12 oz/2¹/₃ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of fine sea salt

60 g (2¼ oz) unsalted butter (at room temperature)

2 free-range or organic egg yolks

90 ml (3 fl oz) grappa

2 tablespoons full-cream (whole) milk

olive oil, for deep-frying

icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour. Put the rest of the flour in a bowl and combine with the caster sugar, baking powder and sea salt. Add the butter, egg yolks, grappa and milk. Mix all the ingredients together by hand until a dough is formed. If the dough is too dry, add a little more milk. If the dough is too wet, add extra flour. Knead for at least 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Rest for at least 1 hour, then roll by hand on a lightly floured work surface to 1 mm (¹/₃₂ inch) thickness. This can also be done through a pasta machine, but extra flour will be needed for dusting between rolls. Cut into strips, roughly the width of a wooden ruler and 19 cm (7½ inches) in length, with a jagged-edged ravioli cutter. Re-roll the offcuts if desired.

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan, no more than half full, to 180°C (350°F) and then deep-fry the crostoli for about 3 minutes or until golden and puffy. Drain on a paper towel and dust with the icing sugar to serve.